Eclipse Aerospace begins production in ABQ

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Eclipse Aerospace is back in production and is once again making jets in Albuquerque.

It is great news for employees and for potential new hires.

It has been a long road back for the Albuquerque aviation company since it went into bankruptcy nearly four years ago. Now the new owners hope this is the final step in eclipse coming all the way back.

“We’re ecstatic about getting eclipse back in production,” CEO Mason Holland said.

Eclipse Aerospace has hit another big goal in its climb from bankruptcy.

The company is producing its first jet since February of 2009.

That is when the company laid off all of its employees after declaring bankruptcy in august of 2008.

Eclipse was purchased by a group run by CEO Mason Holland.

The eclipse 550 jet back went back into production Friday.

“That was the goal,” Holland said. “That was the last of our major three goals we wanted to accomplish when we acquired the company back in 2009.”

Eclipse does have a plant in Europe but the final assembly and delivery of the aircraft will happen at the Albuquerque plant.

The first plane is scheduled to leave the plant in July of next year.

“We know that the Albuquerque facility can be tooled to generate between 50 and 120 aircrafts a year,” Holland said.

The year 2014 will be their first full year of production and they hope to make and sell at least 50 planes at a little more than $2.5 million each.

The new production will mean the eclipse staff will more than double.

“In order to be at a full assembly I would imagine we would end up of a staff of somewhere between 250 and 300 employees in Albuquerque sometime in the next 18 to 24 months,” Holland said.

Eclipse at its height before bankruptcy employed more than 1,500 people at the Albuquerque plant.

By the end of 2013 eclipse aerospace hopes to be completing more than four planes a month.

Elcipse Aerospace already has pre-orders that would make up about 60 percent of their goal of 50 planes soled for 2014.